Molar Mic … Tooth bone conduction communication system

When you take a look at thebone conduction history you will notice the military was one of the first to start using bone conduction technology in practice. The bone conduction headphones we know and use today are direct heirs of the first generation military bone conduction headphones. The army staff got easily convinced by the various benefits of using bone conduction communication. Communication without covering your ears was and still is a gift from heaven in serious combat situations. These days the army goes the extra mile. The near future intent is to create a microphone and bone conduction speaker attached to the back teeth (the molars…what’s in a name… Molar Mic) of the soldier. This Molar Mic will allow the soldier to communicate via his teeth.

To realize this innovative high-technology device the US Department of Defense has closed a deal with the American high-tech company Sonitus Technologies. The million Dollar deal is aimed to develop the Molar Mic communication system in the very near future. The system will first be developed for the US Air Force soldiers.

Custom-made bone conduction mouthpiece

The Molar Mic is all about attaching a communication system to your back teeth, aka molars. To ensure a proper fit each mouthpiece will be custom-made. Besides custom-made properties the Molar Mic will be waterproof, have a rechargeable battery and an integrated microphone and speaker. The mouthpiece will allow sending and receiving messages via a wireless system. This system is configured to flawlessly connect to other communication devices like phones and radios.

Being a soldier, you might face various situations whereby communication is a tricky, dangerous and difficult aspect. Think about talking in or around airplanes and helicopters, while swimming or when jumping out of an airplane. Traditional communication means do not offer a solution in these instances. Thanks to the Molar Mic bone conduction speaker the communicated sound will directly reach the inner ear without being disturbed by any ambient noise.

A long list of benefits

Using this means of communication has a lot of benefits: open ears and open sight (soldiers can hear ambient sounds while communicating with their squad leader, other soldiers,…), defensive equipment can be put on or off without disturbing communication, enhanced overall comfort.

The intent is to first distribute the Molar Mic among US Air Force soldiers. Other military branches will be added later on. Sonitus emphasizes their Molar Mic doesn’t only has many benefits for military personnel but could also help security personnel, industrial employees and so on.